Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-06-18

lake, ana said There he is here he IL!
and sure enough right In front II me, not
two miles away. fhe lake being scarcely
ripplcd, the air clear as plate glass, ! be
held the sea serpent, and must say that
the spectacle was truly most startling
one. Ia my wanderings ! have Chanced
TO see some strange things and had cause
TO note some of the ieceits that narurescan
practice ON the senses. but am free to
say that ] never saw on land or sea an sp,
pearance more startling than | saw in
Burlington bay in front Of my house last
Friday morning The appearance has
been many times described with fair
degree Of accuracy. In length the serpeH
seemed st least 100 feet longer than a canal
boat would at that distance lis color
was at times of slaty brown, and N
others it seemed 10 be glistenng white,
like the scales Of a shad Its motion WAS
undulatory, and kind of quivering its
whole length characterized it, Ii moved
with astonishing rapidity toward the
north, and when it was showing the full
length of its appearance il sank from
sight.
This is plain account of the sea ser
peut rs | saw it. The deceit was perfect
The coolest observer and the most skepti-
cal would have been perfectly convinced
that his eyes had beheld "A marine mon
ster. have a field glass of great value,
and, thinking that the serpent would ap-
pear again, | stepped quickly to where it
hangs in the hall and adjusted the lenses
for the distance. A lady's hand at the
acquired range would show its fingers
plainly. The first thought of incredulity
as ! stood gazing at il before took my
glass, arose from the fact of the exceeding
rapidity with which il was moving. No
body, | said TO myself, could ever
move through the water as fast as that
thing was going | had hardly reached
the veranda again when the cry rang along
the street, There he is. There he is
again and sure enough. there was the
serpent once more, white and shiny, NOV
ing with immense rapidity, with the same
peculiar vibrating motion. | brought my
glass to bear upon il instantly, and the
mystery WAS that instant solved. The
immense sea monster resolved itself into
several hundreds of small birds of the
plover family, flying i'll a long line, which
swung down and TO the right or left as
they flew. The under side of their wings
and breasts was snowy white; their backs
Were slaty brown. When in the
iplil, VI SH'fl tuENlURs OF lntlr n1gnt,
they Woe dying at such an angle as re
gErds the gaZer that the under side of
their wings and breasts were seen, the
serpent, long and white, appeared When
they took some slant at another angle.
and their backs and upper side Of their
wings We're turned toward the gazer, the
white line faded out and the monster
seemed 10 sink from view. The Quiver-
ing and vibrating motions of the monster
~ere thus explained. The quick fiutter
If their little wings, in long line ex-
tended, the gradual swOop up and down
in their flight, made the appearance per
feet. The immense speed of the serpent
was accounted for, his molten being the
motion Of quick winged birds cleaving the
air, and not of an aquatic monster rush
ing through the water.
That this true account and perfect
solution Of the Champlain sea serpent the
public may believe, for | had not only the
opportunity 10 see one sea serpent that
morning but | saw three ut the same in
stant, one rounding Bluff Point, one
about "A mile ont heading To join it, and
another north of Juniper Island and so
speak with the certainty of one " no knows
whereof he atlirms. But the appearance
is a most deceitful one, and with the I'M
assisted eye its real nature caunot he dis
cerned